Mounting for bobbin receivers for weft replenishing looms



-w. WAKEFIELD MOUNTING FOR B OB I3IN RECEIVERS FQR LOOMS Filed Deb. 2 2', 1945 INVENTOR WALTER MKEF/ELD 41 2); "F

' ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I MOUNTING FOR BOBBIN RECEIVERS FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Walter H. Wakefield,-Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 22, 1945., Serial ,No. 636,952

.13 Claims. (Cl. 139-.255)

This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing looms and .it'is the general object of the invention to provide a receiver for discharged bobbins so constructed that it can be readily emptied without being disconnected from the loom.

The lays of weft replenishing looms generally employ a bobbin chute down which the exhausted .bobbins are directed during weft replenishing operations. The bobbins are customarily collected by sheet metal cans or the like resting on the floor and requiring emptying from time to time. :Due to their weight and size the emptying operation is not convenient and is laborious for some of the employees of a mill who perform this work.

It .is an important objectof my present invention to provide a bobbin receiver having a rigid frame from which a cloth bag is suspended, and mount the frame in such manner that it can be moved forwardly and upwardly by swinging movement which inverts the mouth to facilitate discharge of bobbins from the receiver into a box, carriage or the like which is moved from loom to loom. 7

The aforesaid chute traverses a given path during the back and forth reciprocation of the lay and the mouth of the receiver extends rearwardly of this path to insure entry of the discharged bobbins into the bag. It is necessary to move the receiver forwardly clear of the chute path before it can be moved upwardly and it is another object of my invention to provide a mounting for the receiver so constructed that the latter can first be moved forward-of the path of the chute after which it can be swung upwardly and around to inverted position.

It is a more particular object of my invention to mount the frame for the receiver on a floating lever which is carried by links so related to the lever as to cause the mouth of the receiver to become inverted by merely pulling the frame forwardly. The floating lever and links are so .constructed that a complete inversion of the mouth can be effected, but this inversion may not be necessary, since it will be sufiicient in some instances if the mouth is moved forwardly and turned to such a position that bobbins can be discharged throughit when the bag is raised.

lihe previously mentioned emptying operations ordinarily take place while :the loom is in opera tion and the chuteis swinging back and forth with the lay. It is therefore necessary to be able to return the bobbin receiver to its normal position by some rneans which will prevent interference with the bobbin chute. This-result is accomplished by the same mechanism which effects inversion of the mouth when the latter is moved forwardly, this mechanism requiring the mouth to .be restored to its low position before being able to move rearwardly under the path of the chute.

It is desirable that the frameproviding the discharge mouth of the bag be held stable when it is in both the normal and inverted positions thereof. It is a further object of my present invention to provide stopmeans for-one of the suspending links so located as .to hold the frame stationary with the mouth opening upwardlyin normal position and also hold the mouth stationary when inverted during the discharging operation. This feature of the invention is possible dueto the fact that one of thesuspending links for the floating lever moves first forwardly away from its stop and .then'rearwardly against it during inversion of the mouth.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a con-- venient' embodiment of my invention is set forth, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the forward part of the loom having my invention applied thereto, parts of the lay being in section,

Fig. 2 is a front detail elevation looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the receiver in normal position as viewed in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. '2, parts being removed, and

Figs. 4 to 7 are diagrammatic views showing the manner in which the invention operates to effect discharge of bobbins from the bag.

Referring particularly to Fig. l, I have shown a loom frame It) and a lay H provided with a shuttle box ['2 to receive "a shuttle S from which bobbins are'discharged downwardly during replenishing operations of theloom along a bobbin chute I8. The lay is of customary construction and ,reciprocates backwardly and forwardly so that the chute l3 traverses the given back and forth path during loom operation. The shuttle S will ordinarily be replenished .and therefore the discharged bobbin will descend along chute if! when the lay is at its front center position, or at the left end of its stroke in the position shown in Fig. 1.

.The bobbin receiver R forming the subject matter of this invention is made of an upper preferably rigid frame F and a cloth bag 13 secured to and hanging from the frame. As shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 3 the frame may be made of a single piece of rod material and has a front member i5 which is bent rearwardly to define an outer side member I8, after which the frame is bent to the left to form back member I1 extending in a direction substantially parallel to the member IS. The free end of the frame is then bent forwardly to form an inner side member l8 which terminates close to the front member l5. These four members define an opening or mouth M through which the descending bobbins pass into the bag. Any convene ient means may be provided for attaching the bag to the frame and the latter will ordinarily be inclined downwardly and rearwardly as shown in Fig. 1 to provide an upwardly opening mouth.

The mechanism for' controlling the movement of the frame F comprises a floating lever the upper end of which is provided with a hub 21 in which the forward member l5 of the frame F is held in fixed position by a set screw 22. I do not wish to be limited to this particular means for fastening the frame to the floating lever, but it is desirable that the frame and lever be connected together in some manner so that they will in effect move as a unit. The lever is mounted on two links, a primary link 25 connected to the lever by a primary pivot 26 and movable about a fixed pivot 21 on the loom frame, and a secondary link 28 connected to lever 20 by a secondary pivot 29 below the pivot 26 and turning about a fixed pivot 30 on the loom frame behind or to the rear of the lever 20 and the pivots 2B and 29.

An adjustable stop is provided for back and. forth adjustment by means of a set screw 38 and has an adjustable stop screw 31 for engagement with the primary link 25. A torsion spring 38 surrounds the hub 39 at the lower end of the primary link 25 and tends normally to hold the latter against the stop screw 31 but yields to permit forward motion of the primary link.

Under normal conditions the receiver R. will be in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the mouth M opening upwardly to receive bobbins and extending under the path traversed by the bobbin chute 13. The link 25 will be against the stop screw 31, being held in that position by the weight of the bag and, also by the spring 38. As successive replenishing operations of the loom occur the spent bobbins or filling carriers 40 will accumulate in the bottom of the bag to a sufficient depth to require emptying.

The operator will then move the front member I5 of the frame F forwardly the first effect of which will be to move the rear part of the mouth M and fram F forward of the path traversed by the bobbin chute as indicated in Fig. 4, where the chute is shown in its foremost position. During this first part of the forward movement of the frame the primary link 25 rocks to the left as viewed in Fig. 1, and the primary link 'may be considered a movable mounting for the frame F enabling the latter to clear the path of the chute. By continued forward movement the frame will rock upwardly and to the left, turning at the same time and assuming the successive positions shown in Figs. 5 and '6.

When the receiver is in the position shown in Fig. 6 it is possible to lift the bottom of the bag to empty the filling carriers 40, but it may be more convenient to continue the turning of the frame F until it assumes the position of Fig. '7 before lifting the bag. In this latter figure the mouth is inverted and opens downwardly so that as the bobbins are discharged upon raising the bag they will fall into a box or the like 42 which is moved from loom to loom. During the latter part of this motion the link 25 which has been moving forwardly, returns to rear position against stop screw 31 and the frame is stabl when in the position of Fig. 7. A tab or the like 43 may be secured to the bottom of the bag to facilitate lifting it to the position shown in Fig. '7.

After the bag has been emptied the attendant will let it fall behind the frame F, and will then push the frame backwardly, reversing the previous operation. During this reverse movement the links and floating lever cause the frame to traverse a determined or fixed path in which the mouth M will assume a position below the path of the chute before reaching the final reset position under the path, such as shown in Fig. 1. In this way all danger of interference on the part of the reciprocating chute is eliminated.

During movement of the receiver toward and from discharging positions the pivots 26 and 29 swing around primary and secondary arcs a and I), see Fig. 1. Successive positions of the pivots 26 and 29 along their arcs cause the turning of lever 29 which effects the inversion of the mouth M already described.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a bobbin receiver having a frame and a suspended bag mounted in such manner that it can be moved forwardly from under the path of the reciprocating bobbin chute and then upwardly and forwardly to a position which will place the mouth M favorably for discharge of the bobbins when the bag is raised. As already indicated it is not essential that the mouth become completely inverted to effect discharge of the bobbins, but the operating parts connected to the frame F are so constructed that inversion as shown in Fig. 7 can be affected if desired. It will be noted that when the mouth is in its normal and inverted positions the primary link engages the stop screw 31 and the frame F is therefore stable in both of these positions. It will further be seen that the floating lever is mounted on links which require the frame to traverse a fixed course or path of movement so that upon return from the emptying to the normal position there is no danger that the chute will strike the rear part of the frame F.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin chute which swings backwardly and forwardly along a given path, a bobbin receiver having a normally upwardly facing mouth through which bobbins pass from the chute into the receiver, a pivotal support for said receiver having a horizontal axis and normally located to hold said receiver with said mouth extending under said path, and means mounting said pivotal support for forward movement from the normal position thereof to move said mouth forwardof said path, said receiver being thereafter rotatable on said support in an upward and forward direction to a position in which said mouth is inverted.

2. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin chute which swings backwardly and forwardly along a given path, a bobbin receiver having a normally upwardly facing mouth extending under said path and through which bobbins lpass from the chute into the receiver, and support means for the receiver mounted for forward movement on the loom and having a pivot forthe receiver, said support means when moving for:- wardly moving the receiver forwardly of said path and the receiver being thereafter movable along a given path, a bobbin receiver having a normally upwardly facing mouth through which bobbins pass from the chute into the receiver, a

pivotal support for 'said'receiver normally located to hold said receiver with said mouth extending under said path, andmeans mounting said pivotal support for movement forwardly from the normal location thereof to move said mouth from under said path, said receiver-being thereafter capable of upward and forward movement around said pivotal support to a position in which said mouth is inverted.

4. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin chute which moves backwardly and forwardly along a given path during loom operation, a

bobbin receiver including a bag and having a normally upwardly facing mouth through which bobbins pass from the chute into the bag, a pivotal support for the receiver having a horizontal axis and normally positioned to locate part of said mouth under the forward part of said path, and means mounting said pivotal support for movement forwardly from the normal position thereof to an abnormal position thereof to move said mouth from under said path, said mouth being rotatable upwardly and forwardly about said axis when the pivotal support is in the abnormal position thereof to locate said mouth in a position to facilitate discharge of the bobbins in the bag through said mouth when the bottom of said bag is lifted above said mouth.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin chute traversing a given back and forth path, a bobbin receiver including a rigid frame having an upwardly opening bobbin receiving mouth normally extending under said path and from which a bobbin holding bag is suspended, a lever fixed to said frame, and support means for said lever including two links pivoted to the lever at spaced points and movable angularly about spaced centers and effective when said frame is moved forwardly to move said mouth forwardly of said path and then upwardly and forwardly to a position in which the mouth faces in a direction to facilitate discharge of bobbins through said mouth when the bag is raised above said mouth.

6. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin chute traversing a given back and forth path, a bobbin receiver including a rigid frame having an upwardly opening bobbin receiving mouth normally extending under said path and from which a bobbin holding bag is suspended, a lever fixed to said frame, and support means for said lever including a primary link pivoted to the leverand movable about a center below the point at which the link is pivoted to the lever, a

. A "in secondary iink pivoted to the lever below said the mouth when the bag is raised above said mouth. a

'7. In a bobbin receiver for a weft replenish,- ing loom having a bobbin chute reciprocating back and forth along a given path, a'rigid frame forming the top .of the receiver and having a normally. upwardly facing mouth projecting under said path, a bobbin holding bag suspended from said frame, a'fioatin'g lever secured tosaid frame and having two spaced pivots, two lever supporting means connected .to said pivots, one

' means for eachpivot, one of said means causing the corresponding pivot to move in a direction the major component of which is horizontal and the other means causing the other pivot to move in a direction the major component of which is vertical, said two means causing said frame when the latter is moved by a forwardly directed force to move forwardly from said path and turn in an upward and forward direction to move said mouth to a position in which bobbins in the bag can be emptied through said mouth when the bag israised above said mouth.

8. In a bobbin receiver for a weft replenishing loom, a rigid frame forming the top of the receiver and having a normally upwardly facing mouth, a bobbin holding bag suspended from said frame, a floating lever secured to said frame,

and mounting means for said lever effective to cause the latter to turn said frame in an upward and forward direction when the frame is pulled forwardly to move said mouth to a position in which discharge of bobbins in the bag through said mouth will be facilitated when said bag is raised above said mouth.

9. In a bobbin receiver for a weft replenishing loom, a rigid frame forming the top of the receiver and having a normally upwardly facing mouth, a bobbin holding bag suspended from said frame, floating lever secured to said frame, two spaced pivots on said lever, two spaced pivots fixed on the loom, a primary link connecting one of said fixed pivots to one of said pivots on the lever, and a secondary link connecting the other fixed pivot to the other pivot on the lever, said pivots being so related that forward pulling of said frame will cause said lever to turn said mouth in an upward and forward direction.

10. In a bobbin receiver for a weft replenishing loom, a rigid frame forming the top of the receiver and having a normally upwardly facing mouth, a bobbin holding bag suspended from said frame, a floating lever secured to and depending from said frame, two vertically spaced pivots on said lever, two spaced pivots fixed with respect to the loom, one of said fixed pivots being below the lever and the other fixed pivot being behind the lever, a link connecting the upper of said pivots on the lever with said fixed pivot below the lever, and a, second link connecting the lower pivot on the lever with the other fixed pivot, said links causing movement of the floating lever in such a direction as to cause the frame to swing upwardly and forwardly when said frame is acted upon by a forwardly directed force.

11. In a bobbin receiver for a weft replenishing loom, a rigid frame forming the top of the receiver and having a normally upwardly facing mouth, a bobbin holding bag suspended from said frame, a floating lever secured to said frame, two links movable pivotally about two spaced centers on the loom and pivoted to said lever at spaced points, a stop for one of said links against which the latter is held when the receiver is in normal position, said links and lever cooperating when the frame is acted upon by a forwardly directed force to give said frame a turning motion in an upward and forward di rection to a position in which the mouth is inqverted, said one link moving first away from said stop and then back into engagement 'with the stop as the frame has said turning motion.

12. In operating mechanism for a weft replenishing loom bobbin receiver having a frame formed with a bobbin receiving mouth and from which a bobbin holding bag is suspended, a floating lever secured to said frame, and links movable about centers fixed with respect to the loom and pivoted to the lever at spaced points and effective when a forwardly directed force is applied to the frame to cause the lever to turn the frame from the normal position thereof in a forward and upward direction to move the mouth to a discharging position in which bobbins in the bag can be discharged through the mouth when the bag is raised above the mouth.

13. In operating mechanism for a weft replenishing loom bobbin receiver having a frame formed with a bobbin receiving mouth and from which a bobbin holding bag is suspended, a system of interconnected parts supported by the loom and including a floating lever secured to the frame and links pivoted to the lever and movable about centers on the loom, and a stop for said system, the receiver being normally behind said system and holding one part of said system against said stop, and said system effective when the receiver is pulled forwardly to turn said frame in an upward and forward direction to a position in which the mouth is inverted and the receiver is in front of said system and holds said one part against said stop.

WALTER H. WAKEFIELD. 

